Kenya Morans will open their 2021 Fiba AfroBasket Group ‘B’ qualifier on November 27 with a match against Senegal.
According to the International Basketball Federation (FIBA), the venue for the four-team tournament that will be played in two phases is yet to be decided.
The other group match to be played on the same day will see eleven-time continental champions and favourites Angola take on their Zone Six rivals Mozambique.
Kenya will then tackle Angola on November 28 in their second match before winding up their fixtures with a game against Mozambique a day later.
The next phase of the tournament will be held from February 19 with Kenya again starting off their campaign against Senegal. They will then face Angola on February 20 before meeting Mozambique in the last fixture on February 22.
Morans' are the lowest ranked team in the group at position 122. Angola are top at number 32, Senegal (35) and Mozambique (93).
Twenty teams divided into five groups will battle in the second round of the qualifications with the top three from each group qualifying for the finals slated for Kigali, Rwanda.
Coach Cliff Owuor said his eyes are fixed on this continental meeting and will give it his best shot. He called on his players to keep training at home as they await the government decision on the resumption of sporting activities.
The tactician remained upbeat about his team’s chances, saying that with good preparations, Kenya can make it to their first championships since 1993.
“If I get all my players from the diaspora and start our training in good time, I am sure we stand a good chance of making it through to the finals,” said Owuor.
He has planned friendly matches against Uganda, Rwanda and DR Congo once activities restart in a bid to fine-tune the side.
Owuor said he is in constant communication with his players, both at home and abroad, through Zoom meetings as he continues to avail programmes for them.
Kenya last featured in the biggest continental festival in 1993 in Nairobi, finishing fourth and Owuor believes the team has come of age.
Last year, the team stunned Africa by reaching the finals of the inaugural African show in Mali, where they went down to DR Congo.
Morans qualified after winning a six-team pre-qualifiers event played before a full house at the Nyayo Stadium gymnasium in January. Urged on by their fans, the team were unbeaten after seeing off Burundi, Eritrea, South Sudan, Somalia and Tanzania.
